G.Soul Reaches New Heights with Circles

You’ve been living off of the Show Me the Money 6 (SMTM6) wave of hot rap songs, all of the power and beats you could have ever hoped for released consistently. But now you’re starting to tire of the high-energy tracks (and sometimes existential life-shattering verses of Woo Wonjae). Now that the season is over, what you need is something to bring you down from that high—something smooth as melted chocolate, but still as charismatic as Jo Woochan. H1GHR MUSIC’s G.Soul is who you are craving, and luckily he has released a mini-album just for us R&B-hungry fans.

The mini-album is titled Circles, and it features six tracks. Starting with the sexy and soulful title track “Can’t,” we’re given an atmospheric track with a slow and mesmerizing beat. G.Soul’s voice is absolutely awe-inspiring, especially during his falsetto in the chorus. The music video is simple, with alternating shots of G.Soul and the band playing the song. The R&B singer is reminiscent of The Weeknd’s House of Balloons era with the arousing yet distorted sound throughout “Can’t.”

“Tequila” is a song, featuring female artist Hoody, that was previously released in June. Hoody’s airy R&B vocals complement G.Soul’s perfectly. Uptempo with a tropical beat, “Tequila” is the perfect club song, fitting of its name.

“Bad Habit” is a funky little track with a fun and unique beat. Taking inspiration from early 2000s R&B, “Bad Habit” is a song I can find myself grooving to mindlessly as it plays in the background. Following this is an interlude titled, well, “One More Interlude.” A sweet 30 seconds it is, as G.Soul melancholically serenades us in English.

The last two tracks include “Circles” and “Found You” with Deepshower. “Circles” is similar to “Can’t” in that it carries that sexy yet dark vibe throughout. However, unlike “Can’t,” this track is more powerful; instead of calming, cool vocals, it features G.Soul belting out his lyrics powerfully. “Found You” is a fast-tempo, sensual track. The chorus breaks into a house beat, perfect for dancing.

Overall, it’s safe to say that G.Soul’s move from JYP Entertainment to Jay Park’s label, H1GHR MUSIC, was a smart one. His reason for making the switch? He told Soompi, “I was in my previous agency for a really long time, so I wanted to try working in a new environment with some new people. That’s why I chose my current agency [H1GHR MUSIC]." It seems the new environment suits the artist very well. Announcing his departure from JYP Entertainment on June 6, 2017, the artist very quickly released a single under the new label in the same month, then featured on ZICO’s album, and even performed on SMTM6 alongside Junoflo and producer Dok2. Now, he has delivered a very strong mini-album. Thanks to H1GHR MUSIC, G.Soul is an R&B force to be reckoned with. I, and other K-R&B fans, look forward to seeing more.